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Sochi’s Killer Cheese Bread

Adjaruli

Adjaruli Khachapuri

Are you as obsessed with the Olympics as I am?  Beautiful mountain scenery, good looking athletes, stray puppy adoptions—what’s not to love?  A month ago most of us would have been hard-pressed to pinpoint Sochi’s whereabouts on a map of Russia.  The city happens to be about as far southwest as you can get in the mammoth-sized country, nestled on the Black Sea just a stone’s throw from the border of Georgia.  In fact, if you’re looking for a taste of the Olympic host city’s cuisine before the games end, your best bet may actually be at a Georgian restaurant, as many of the former Soviet Socialist Republic’s regional dishes are also enjoyed in Sochi.  Even in a city with as much culinary diversity as New York, authentic Georgian food can be hard to find.  But thanks to one new East Village restaurant, enjoying an Olympics-themed feast just got a whole lot easier.

Traditional Georgian restaurant, Oda House (located in the East Village), just under a year old, serves one of Sochi’s (and Georgia’s) most beloved, must-try dishes: Khachapuri.  The traditional cheese bread comes in a variety of shapes and filling & topping combinations, with Adjaruli arguably being the most popular version.  This is the gourmet Old World hangover food of your dreams— a boat shaped bread whose center is composed entirely of cheese, butter, and one poached egg.  Tear IMG_2294off the outer crust and dip it into the oozing, bubbling pool of cheese for one rich fondue-like meal.

What makes Oda House’s Adjaruli so irresistible?  Perhaps it’s the perfectly baked, yeasty crust, golden brown and crisp on the outside, chewy and warm on the inside; or maybe it’s the decadent mix of two Georgian cheeses, tangy imeruli and salty sulguni (similar to feta and mozzarella, respectively).  It also doesn’t hurt that there’s half a stick of butter plopped down in the middle of this bacchanalia of carbs and dairy.  The restaurant prides itself on using organic farm ingredients, and I could swear the Adjaruli has only gotten better since I first tried it several months ago.  Luckily for all of us Olympics binge-watchers, Oda House does both takeout and delivery.  Order up before the February 23rd Closing Ceremonies!

Oda House
76 Ave B
New York, NY 10009
(212) 353-3838

 

One Comment

  1. Nice post. There are some wonderful Georgian spots in Brooklyn as well like Georgian Bread on Neptune ave sporting massive Adjarulis such as this… http://eatingwithziggy.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/050.jpg

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